Multiple throttle control



De@ 25, 1951 D. P. PETERSEN MULTIPLE THROTTLE coN'rRoL Filed Sept. 13, 1950 AIN..

mw mm n w www? 3 pressions 'Ib and 8b located in predetermined relation With respect to the slots 'la and 8a, said depresisons 1b and 8b being adapted to receive the detent pins I'I and I8 at their rounded ends Ila and I8a when the discs are rotated so that the said depressions 'Ib and 8b are opposite the tubes I5 and I8, and when so disposed, the slots Ia and 8a are opposite each other and angularly aligned about the axis of the shaft 2.

The handles 5a and 6a respectively have bores 5e and 6e wherein rivets 2I and 22 are fixed, the rivets 2| and 22 having their outer ends enlarged as at 2 Ia and 22a respectively. A pair of locking pawls 23 and 24 are provided with bores 23a and 24a having conical outer ends adapted to receive the enlarged rivet ends 2 Ia and 22a which ends prevent the disengagement of the pawls 23 and 24 but at the same time provide a loose t. Near the outer ends of the pawls 23 and 24 are bores 23h and 24h opposite bores 5f and Gf, the latter bores having left-handed internal threads. A pair of locking wheels 25 and 26 having shafts 25a and 25a 'extending through their centers are provided so that the pawls 23 and 24 may be forced away from the handles 5a and 5a, respectively, one end of each shaft having left-handed threads engaging the threads in bores 5f and Gf, respectively, and the other ends of the shafts being journaled in the bores 23h and 24h. Washers 21, 28, 29 and 39 are provided on the shafts 25a and 250.. The inner ends 28o and 24o of the pawls 2S and 24 overlie the discs I and 8 which are p-rovided with friction inserts 'Ic and 8c respectively, for the purpose hereinafter described, the friction inserts being held in place by rivets 'Id and 8d.

Operationally, the performance is as follows: The device is secured at the base of frame I to the instrument panel, and the throttle linkages L5 and L6 are connected to the lugs 5b and Eb as shown in the drawing. The knurled locking wheels 25 and 26 are loosened by turning them so that the wheels approach the handle levers 5a and Ea. This loosens the pawls 23 and 24 and permits the discs 'I and 8 to turn free'of the levers 5 and 6 on the shaft 2. The master lever 9 is then rotated about shaft 2 so that the rod I engages the ends of the slots 'Ia and 8a and moves the discs I and 8 around until the ends of the detent pins IIa and 58a drop into the depressions 1by and 8b on the edges of the discs 'I and 8. 'Ihe discs are now lined up so that the slots 'Ia and 8a are exactly opposite each other and parallel. At this point the first engine is brought up to the speed at which it is to be operated by advancing the throttle lever l. The knurled Wheel 25 is rotated so that it presses the pawlA 23 leftwardly in Fig. 2 and locks the lever to the disc I by pressing the inner end of the paWl 23e against the friction insert 'Ic on the disc 'I. Then the second engine is brought up to speed; the first engine either being retarded or left at operating speed. The locking. of the throttle B'to the disc 8 is then accomplished by the knurled wheel 26 acting on the pawl 24 in the manner above described. Usually, the throttle handles 5a and 6a will be around 10 or 15 advancedof center when operating speed is reached. The knob 3 is used to adjust the drag resisting a change in throttle position. It may be seen from Fig. 2 that when the knob 3 is tightened on the threads 2a. of the shaft 2 the shaft is pulled leftwardly so that the collar 2c. is pressed against the spacer I4 compressing the other spacers II, I2 and I3 and binding the hubs of the elements 'I, 5, 9, 8 and 6.

With the knob 3 set for the proper drag, and the pawls 23 and 24 locking the disks 'I and 8 to throttle levers 5 and 6, respectively, the speed of the engines may simultaneously be controlled by the master lever 9, the rod I0 passing through the respective slots la, 5d, 8a and 6c. The rod I0 moves with the master lever 9 so that When the lever 9 is advanced, the rod IIl travels in the slots 1a. and 8a until it reaches the upper ends, Fig. 1, of the slots. Here, the rod I0 engages the slots and causes the discs 'I and 8 to rotate with the lever 9, the motion of the discs being imparted to the throttle levers 5 and 6 to which they are locked. When the master lever is retarded, the rod I0 moves to the bottom, Fig. l,

vof the slots 'Ia and 8a, and then picks up the throttle assemblies and retards them. The length of the slots is such as to permit the levers 5 and G to be turned to any angle with respect to each other, if so desired, to correct for a cross wind in an airplane or to permit the reduction in speed of one engine if trouble develops therein. The purpose of the detents I'Ia and 1b, and Ia and 3b is to provide a reference position to4 which the discs 'I and 8 may be initially set when the adjustment is nrst being made, and Which will retain the discs in the detent position while the throttles 5 and 6 are being moved independently of the discs 'I and 8.

Although the drawing shows only two throttles, it is apparent that any number desired may be mounted on the shaft 2 and that these may be operated by the master lever 9. It is only necessary to extend the length of the rod I Il to engage the increased number of throttle levers and discs.

I do not limit the scope of my invention to the exact form shown in the drawing, for obviously changes may be made Within the scope of the claims.

I claim:

l. A throttle control device for multiple-engine installations, each engine having a throttle-control linkage; comprising a frame; a shaft extending through said frame; a throttle-control lever for each engine journaled on said shaft and operatively connected to the throttle-control linkage of said engine; a master-control lever journaled on said shaft and having an offset rod xed through it parallel to the shaft and eX- tending laterally beyond said throttle-control levers; an idler disc journaled on the shaft adjacent each control lever, each disc having a circumferential slot receiving said rod, the length of the slot extending through the angle of maximum throw of the throttle-control lever plus the diameter of the rod, and the respective throttle.- control levers being cut away to afford lateral clearance to said slots; and means for locking each of said discs to its adjacent throttle-control lever so that When the master-control lever is moved, the rod simultaneously imparts rotation to said discs which in turn move their respective control levers in unison.

2. In a device as set forth in claim 1, means on said shaft for adjusting the frictional drag resisting rotation of the elements journaled thereon.

3. AIn a device as set forth in claim 2, said means comprising opposed flats at one end of said shaft, said frame having a flattened hole engaging said shaft on said opposed ats to prevent rotation of said shaft, a collar fixed on saidshaft e near the flattened end; spacing collars journaled on said shaft between` said adjacent disc-lever assemblies and between said assemblies and said master-lever; threads on the other end of said shaft outside said frame; and threaded knob means on said shaft threads adapted when tightened to pull the shaft axially so that the fixed collar on the shaft tightens and compresses said journaled collars to increase the friction between those collars and the journaled levers and discs.

4. In a device as set forth in claim 1, detent means for yieldably holding the said discs in an indexed position so that the respective slots are all laterally aligned.

5. In a device as set forth in claim 4, said detent means comprising a bracket across the frame parallel to the shaft, the bracket having a hole opposite the edge of each disc; a tube mounted in each hole, the axis of each tube lying along a radial from said shaft; a spring-loaded near its center to each throttle-control lever, the inner end of the pawl overlying the outer periphery of the adjacent disc, and each pawl having a hole near its outer end, said hole registering with a threaded hole through the adjacent throttlecontrol lever; a shaft transxing said holes, the shaft being threaded at one end to engage said threaded hole; and a knurled wheel xed on each shaft between said pawl and said lever so that When the shaft is unscrewed, the Wheel bears against the pawl forcing the outer end of the pawl awa;7 from the lever and compressing the inner end of the pawl against the disc.

'7. In a device as set forth in claim 6, a friction pad attached on the outer periphery of each disc underlying the inner end of the pavvl.

DELMORE P. PETERSEN.

The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 1,269,581 Daimler June 18, 1918 1,358,730 l-lartsough Nov. 16, 1920 1,889,295 Rosatelli Nov. 29, 1932 2,516,433 Suska July 25, 1950 

